Elena's Wish
by vampfan32
Summary: Be careful what you wish for, especially when your best friend is a witch. Story has been abandoned, but a full summary is posted at the end.
1. Chapter 1

_**Elena has just discovered a picture of Katherine at Stefan's house. In her emotional state, she makes a wish on a star. What she doesn't realize is that you should be careful what you wish for, especially when your best friend is a witch. **_

_This story has been rolling around in my head for a while now. I combined characteristics from both the books and the TV series. These choices are based on what would work better for the story. This is my first attempt at writing fan fiction, so please, be gentle. No copyright infringement intended. This story is for entertainment only. Rated M for later chapters. Enjoy!_

**ELENA'S WISH**

**Chapter 1**

**Elena's POV**

"This can't be happening!"

Elena could barely see the road as she raced her car toward home. Her anger, frustration, and even sadness were blinding. She couldn't get that picture out of her mind, Stefan's beloved Katherine. No wonder their relationship had progressed so quickly, she was just a "Katherine-replacement".

Elena knew she should have stayed to confront Stefan about why he had never told her that she was a carbon copy of his ex, but she just couldn't think clearly with all these emotions running through her. He probably didn't even realize that she had left yet. He had gone downstairs to get her something to drink when she had come across the faded photo of Stefan's first love. The shock had almost knocked her off her feet. If it wasn't for the name and date written under the picture, she would have thought it was her own eyes staring back at her. Elena couldn't stay there another second. To be honest, she had fallen in love with Stefan and couldn't fathom how much her heart would break if it turned out that Stefan had only cared about her because of her resemblance to Katherine.

"This can't be happening!"

Elena made it home and ran up to her bedroom in hopes of avoiding everyone else in the house. She threw herself onto her bed and allowed a sob to escape her throat. She would not lose it. She would keep her emotions in check until she could work this out rationally. A few more sobs worked their way out before she could stop them. What was real? Did Stefan really care about her? Was he disappointed because she couldn't live up to Katherine?

It suddenly dawned on Elena that it wasn't just Stefan that had kept this information from her. Damon had not told her either. She finally realized why the Salvatore brothers were so competitive when it came to her. It was Round 2 of Who Can Win Katherine. Elena had no idea why, but this hurt her worse than when she thought it was only Stefan.

Elena couldn't hold back her tears anymore and decided to let them come. Thankfully, her brother, Jeremy had his stereo turned up so loud that it would drown out the sounds of her crying. She decided to do something she hadn't done since she was a little girl. She got off her bed and walked to the window on the other side of her room. She picked out the star she wanted and closed her eyes.

"I wish I had met them before Katherine!"

**Bonnie's POV**

Bonnie was excited. She had learned a few more spells over the last few days and she couldn't wait to show Elena what she had been working on. Elena was Bonnie's best friend, and practically the only person that Bonnie trusted when it came to talking about her magical abilities. Any other person would have freaked out when they had seen Bonnie levitate a bunch of feathers into the air around her, but Elena had been very supportive.

It was less than a year ago when Bonnie found out she could do things that the average teenager couldn't do. Her grandmother had always told her that she had special powers, but she had never believed her. Bonnie figured that now she would have to find some way to make it up to her grandmother for thinking she was a crazy lunatic. It had all started when she had been in her bedroom and saw a candle on her dresser. Bonnie had liked keeping candles all around her room, for the smell and the soft light that radiated from them. She was staring at the candle, thinking that she should get up and light a few of them, when out of nowhere a flame burst up from the wick. Bonnie nearly fell off the bed and ran screaming for her father when she remembered her grandmother's words. She choked back her fear and decided to test the theory.

She turned to her nightstand and saw another candle. She began to concentrate on the wick and think only of a flame. Suddenly, another flame shot up. Bonnie couldn't help but giggle as she watched the flame dance. We reached for the phone and dialed her grandmother's number. She should not have been surprised when her grandmother answered and simply asked, "Do you believe me now?"

It had taken Bonnie a while to work up the nerve to tell anyone about her new gifts. She had run through the list of her close friends, but decided to only tell Elena for now. Their mutual friend, Caroline, probably wouldn't take it very well. Caroline had her whole life mapped out and didn't like change very much. Besides, she would probably just want Bonnie to perform love spells all the time. Matt, another one of their circle, was so hung up on Elena at the moment that he probably wouldn't even pay attention. Elena had ended a relationship with Matt soon after her parents' death, and Matt was a wreck.

Elena had been the best option. She had always been there for Bonnie in the past and would listen without judgment. Plus, Elena was good with weird. She had just found out that the guy she was dating has been a vampire since the 1860s. Not to mention the fact that his brother was also a vampire. Even Bonnie had not wanted to believe that story. Stefan had begged Elena to give him 24 hours, so he could explain his history. After those 24 hours, Elena had accepted it as the truth and promised not to "out" him. Of course, she broke things off with him, but that only lasted a little while before she decided that it didn't matter what he was.

Hopefully, Elena was at home and not over at Stefan's. It was rare when Elena wasn't with her vampire boyfriend. Stefan seemed like a pretty nice guy, but it was extremely hard to trust him when he said he would never hurt Elena. Even if Stefan wasn't dangerous, his brother, Damon, was. Both of the Salvatore brothers had come to town a few months ago and both of them had immediately fallen for Elena. It was like some sick competition between the two of them to see who could get her attention.

Elena's car was in her driveway as Bonnie pulled up to the house. Bonnie ran up to the door and let herself in like she always did. She could hear Jeremy's music blasting through the house and the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile as she waited for Elena to scream at him to turn it down. Her smile slowly disappeared when she didn't hear the usual arguing between the two siblings.

She walked down the hall and quietly opened Elena's door. Elena was sitting on her bed crying, so upset that she didn't even notice that Bonnie was there. Bonnie watched as Elena stood up and walked over to her window. She looked up to the sky and slowly closed her eyes.

"I wish I had met them before Katherine!"

Bonnie had no idea who Katherine was, but she knew that if anything had made Elena this upset, the Salvatore brothers were responsible. She walked up behind Elena and put her hand on her shoulder. Elena spun around wide-eyed and as soon as she saw Bonnie, she collapsed into her arms sobbing. They stood there together for a few minutes while Elena got the tears out of her system. Elena lifted her head and took a deep breath.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" Bonnie said as she smoothed Elena's hair out of her face.

"I was over at Stefan's. We had had an amazing night and he went downstairs to get me something to drink. I didn't mean to be nosy. I was just walking around his room, reading book titles and things like that. Then, on this table, I saw a picture of Stefan's ex that Damon told me about when I first met him. Do you remember? She was the one that Stefan and Damon were so hung up on back when they were human. Well, what they forgot to tell me was that I look just like her!"

Bonnie nodded silently as Elena told her the story. She had heard all about this mysterious ex-girlfriend that had done a number on the two Salvatores. Apparently, she had made both of them fall for her and then went off and got herself killed in some fire. According to Damon, it had taken them decades to get over her. Bonnie looked at Elena with a frown, "I think I'm confused. Why does seeing a picture of Stefan's ex have you so upset? She died a long time ago, Elena. So what if you resemble her slightly, most guys go for the same type of girl."

"No! I don't mean that I resemble her. I mean we are identical! We could be twins! It's insane! If the date hadn't have been at the bottom, anyone would think it was a picture of me. I'm some kind of sick game between the two of them because I look like her. They just want another Katherine."

Elena was beginning to get emotional again, so Bonnie took hold of her hands to comfort her. Bonnie understood now why Elena had gotten so upset. She could kill those two for doing this to her friend. She knew now what Elena had been doing when she walked in. They had practically grown up wishing on stars when they wanted something. Elena wanted to know if Stefan cared about her as herself and not as Katherine. Bonnie decided in that moment that she wasn't going to rest until she helped Elena get the answers she was looking for.

"It's going to be okay, Elena. We're going to figure this out…Together."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**A Wish Granted**

**Bonnie's POV**

Elena had known that as soon as Stefan realized she was gone, he would know that something was wrong. Elena wasn't ready to talk to him, so Bonnie had made her get in the car and took her to her grandmother's house. Grams had sent Elena up to her guestroom to rest while Bonnie told her what had happened.

"Is there anything I can do to help her?" Bonnie had asked her Grams as soon as Elena was out of earshot. "What if I did some kind of truth spell? You know, to make Stefan tell us what the deal is with this whole Katherine thing?"

"No magic, Bonnie!" Grams stated with a stern look. "These are normal teenage problems; you can't use your magic whenever you feel like it. It's too powerful to use it so trivially. Besides, a truth spell would be too powerful for you. You would not be able to control it. Let Elena work out her own mess. She decided to get mixed up with vampires, and I won't have you getting pulled into it."

"That's awful, Grams! Elena couldn't help who she fell in love with. I don't know if I like the whole vampire part of this, but she did fall for him before she knew anything about that. I can't just turn my back on my best friend. She didn't turn her back on me when she found out that I was a witch."

Grams' face softened as she touched Bonnie's cheek. "Fine, do what you can to help her figure this out. But, NO magic! I'm sure you can find a way without bringing any more supernatural forces into it. I am tired, goodnight."

"Goodnight Grams." Bonnie went upstairs to the guestroom after calling her father to tell him she would be staying the night at Grams' house. Elena was not sleeping too soundly. She was tossing, turning, and mumbling as if she was fighting it out with Stefan in her dreams. Bonnie watched Elena for a minute and decided that Grams was wrong. Why did she have all this magic if she couldn't use it to help her friend? From what she had known of Grams' history, she had not had anyone to trust enough that she could tell her secret to. If she had, Bonnie knew that her grandmother would do the same thing she had decided to do now.

Slowly and quietly, Bonnie crept into her grandmother's library and took the grimoire out of the special place it was kept inside a cabinet in one of the bookcases. The grimoire was a book of spells that had been passed down to every witch in the Bennett family for generations. Grams had let her look at this book several times in the last few weeks. She wanted Bonnie to strengthen her power, and that meant studying massive amounts of incantations and ingredients for spells. She had learned quite a bit, but only about one-fifths of the book.

Bonnie sat behind her grandmother's small writing desk and began flipping through the pages, looking for anything that would work in this situation. She quickly flipped to the back of the book where she knew the more difficult spells were located. After about seven pages, she found a spell that might work. From what Bonnie could decipher, the spell was meant to answer the object's most desired wish. Bonnie knew that Elena's wish was to know how Stefan felt about her, so she immediately scanned down to find out what she would need to perform the spell. The spell spoke of carving the object's name into the side of a large white candle while chanting some words written at the bottom of the page. Bonnie was then supposed to light the candle and stare into the flame while repeating the spell one more time.

Bonnie could not interpret the language that the spell was written in, but something in her gut was telling her that she had found the right spell. She began searching the drawers in the desk, looking for the things she would need. After a few minutes, Bonnie found a candle that would do, and a small pen-knife to carve Elena's name in the side. She carefully studied the words in the grimoire to make sure she memorized them.

Bonnie would have to work quickly. Under the same roof, Bonnie had no way of knowing if Grams would sense the energy that would come from the powerful spell. Bonnie took a deep breath and carefully, but quickly, began chanting and carving Elena's name into the candle. This would work, it had to! A few moments later, but what seemed like hours, Bonnie finished the A at the end of Elena's name. She set the candle in front of the open spellbook and stared at the wick to make a flame appear. It had been the first thing she had learned as a witch, so it did not take long for the flame to spring up. Bonnie began to feel the magic build up around her in waves, building and building until she felt like it might crush her. She fought to maintain her concentration as she stared into the flame and began to recite the incantation for the last time.

She could hear footsteps running toward the library as she chanted, but had to put them into the back of her mind as the pressure around her increased tenfold. She could have sworn that her ears popped as she finished the spell. She continued to stare into the flame until it seemed like she was being sucked into a dark tunnel with only a dim glow to light her path. She faintly heard her grandmother's voice scream her name as everything went black.

**Elena's POV**

Elena woke up panting as if she had just run a marathon. It took a few moments to remember that she had gone to Bonnie's grandmother's house the night before. She had wanted a few hours to think after all that had happened over at Stefan's. Going to Grams' had seemed like the perfect opportunity for that when Bonnie had suggested it. It turned out that she had no time to think at all because Stefan had called her phone nonstop from the time she was in Bonnie's car. Elena had not had the nerve to answer the phone, but had listened to all his messages before finally turning her phone off and collapsing onto the bed from exhaustion. From his voicemails, Elena knew he had figured out what had made her run. The first message was from a confused Stefan, wondering why she had disappeared. After that, they had begun to grow more desperate. The last message was from a devastated Stefan, saying only "I can explain."

Elena had not told Bonnie everything about what had happened with Stefan the night before. She had not told Bonnie how she had given herself to Stefan just before she had found the picture of Katherine. Looking back now, it all seemed like a dream. Elena had proclaimed her love to him and he had not pushed her away. He had been loving and passionate, pouring all his emotions into the moment. She had thought at the time that she had died and gone to heaven. It was just her and Stefan in their own private world and it had been magic. Then all her dreams had come crashing down around her, turning their beautiful night together into something twisted and wrong. Had he been thinking of Katherine when he touched her so gently? Had all that passion been a product of his love for her, or his memories of the one that got away?

All these thoughts in Elena's head subsided as she opened her eyes to find she had somehow managed to find her way outside, deep in the woods. Had she began to sleepwalk? Wonderful! One more thing that she would have to worry about! She rolled her eyes at her recent bad luck. She sat up with a jolt and began to look around her. She was in a part of the woods that she did not recognize. It was very dense and heavy with trees. The ground was covered in rich green moss and the air smelled sweet from the sun. Elena smiled slightly as she looked up into the bright sunshine. It had begun to get colder during the past few days, and Elena was sure that the summer heat was on its way out. She was very happy that the universe had given her one more beautiful day; as if it knew that she was in need of it.

She glanced to her left and saw Bonnie sleeping next to her. This confused Elena. How had Bonnie come to be here? Had she followed Elena during her sleepwalking episode, but was afraid to wake her? They had read something in Health class about not waking a sleepwalker. Maybe that is what happened. Elena reached over and shook Bonnie's shoulder a little. Bonnie jerked awake and the words "Did it work?" came pouring out of her mouth. Elena had no idea what Bonnie was talking about, so she figured it must be a dream that Bonnie had been having.

"Get up, Bonnie. We should get back to your Grams' house before she gets worried. Do you have any idea where we are? Should I check the GPS on my phone to see how far away we are?" Elena pulled out her cell phone, but it would not turn on. She figured it was just a dead battery, and became a little nervous that they wouldn't be able to find their way out the woods. She stood and, after helping Bonnie to her feet, began walking in the direction she had hoped they had come from.

Elena looked over at Bonnie and saw that she was just as confused. A very deep crease had shown up between Bonnie's eyes as she looked down at her feet. Bonnie kept whispering to herself about something she thought would work, and wondering how she got from the library to the woods. Elena tried to choke down the small sense of fear of getting lost and walked back to Bonnie to reassure her that they would find their way out. As she approached, Bonnie looked up and asked, "How did we get out here?"

Elena stopped walking and her eyes got round in disbelief. "Didn't you follow me out here while I was sleepwalking?"

"No, the last thing I remember was sitting in Grams' library trying a new spell that I found. I thought it would work, but it must have been too powerful. I might have followed you, but was so exhausted that I don't remember it."

Elena became more nervous. If Bonnie couldn't remember how they got here, then how would they retrace their steps to get back to Grams' house? Elena took a deep breath, then grabbed Bonnie's arm gently and began guiding her through the woods. Hopefully, they had not gone far. They walked through the trees for a while and in the distance Elena could see rooftops. The relief that poured through Elena's body was so strong that it made her giggle. "Thank God! We can stop at one of those houses and ask where we are."

As they approached the opening in the trees, Bonnie put her arm up to block Elena from continuing forward. "Wait!" Bonnie said in a hushed tone. Elena looked over at Bonnie and saw that her mouth had dropped open and her eyes were as big as saucers. She was about to ask Bonnie what was wrong when she looked out to see people walking down small dirt roads that weaved through the buildings. They were dressed like they had walked out of one of those romance novels that Elena's aunt kept on her nightstand. What in the hell was going on? Elena's mind began to spin as she tried to explain to herself how they had dropped into a Jane Austin inspired movie. Suddenly, Bonnie's words from before hit her like a ton of bricks. Bonnie had been trying to do a spell. What if something had gone wrong with Bonnie's magic? What if they were smack in the middle of her spell and didn't know it? Elena's could feel the blood rushing to her head as she pulled Bonnie back into the trees. "Bonnie, I need you to tell about that spell! What did you do?"

Bonnie had started to shake and became more and more panicked with every second. "I don't know, Elena, I swear!" I found a spell that would answer a person's most desired wish. I thought it would help you figure out how Stefan felt about you. I thought you would wake up and just know the truth. I never expected this!"

"The star… I wished on a star before you came to my house. I wished that I had met Stefan and Damon before they had known Katherine. I had convinced myself that it would have been the only thing that would have told me the truth. Bonnie, how could you be so stupid! Please tell me that we did not just get tossed into 1864!" The trees began to tilt and spin. Elena was sure that she was about to pass out, so she took a few breaths to steady herself.

Bonnie had begun sobbing uncontrollably. Elena could barely understand a word she was saying. "I'm so…" (sob) "sorry…" (sob) "Didn't know…" (sob) "it would…" (sob) "bring us here!"

Elena could tell Bonnie was about to break. She tried to calm down and hugged Bonnie as tightly as she could. "It will be okay. We WILL figure this out and get back home. But first, we need to find somewhere to hide. If anyone sees us, they will have too many questions. We will probably get burned at a stake or something."

Bonnie had recovered somewhat and nodded to Elena. They began walking just inside the cover of the trees to keep out of sight, until they saw what looked like an old, abandoned barn on the outskirts of a big mansion. "There!", Elena said, "If we're quiet, we can sneak into that barn and start thinking of how to get out of this mess." They crept as quickly as they could until they got into the barn. Bonnie looked around and guessed that the barn had not been used in long time.

"I know a protection spell. If I put up a barrier around the barn, no one will come upon us accidentally."

Elena was about to argue that it was a spell that put them here, but decided against it. What Bonnie needed more than anything right now was to feel useful. Elena watched as Bonnie began walking around the interior of the barn, chanting words that Elena couldn't make out. After a moment, Elena could see what looked like a shimmering wall go up around the entire structure of the building. She guessed by the small smile on Bonnie's face that the spell must have worked like it should. Well, at least one thing was working out for them today.

"Do you know a spell that will get us home?"

Bonnie's smile disappeared and a look of defeat took its place. "No…and I don't have the spellbook to look one up." Bonnie thought it out in her head for a moment and then looked up at Elena. "Maybe the spell will automatically reverse after you have found your answer? If you meet Stefan and he falls in love with you without Katherine in the picture, then maybe it will send us home."

"There are two major problems with that, Bonnie! If I go to Stefan and Damon now, what's to stop them from turning us over to the townspeople? We don't exactly fit in here. The second problem is, if he does fall for me while he is still human, he won't fall in love with Katherine."

"How is that a problem?"

"If he doesn't fall in love with Katherine, then she won't turn him into a vampire. And if he doesn't become a vampire, then I will be going back to another headstone in the cemetery. All of this will have been for nothing."

"Damn it! This is much more complicated than I thought."

Elena was beginning to get clausterphobic in the barn. "I need some air. I'm going for a walk." She could see Bonnie about to protest. "Don't worry; I'll stick to the woods where no one will see me. I just need to think some things through."

"Okay, but don't be gone long. We should stick together as much as possible so we don't get into trouble."

As Elena walked out of the barn, she realized that Bonnie was right about one thing. This was going to get really complicated.


	3. Chapter 3

_I decided to give everyone another chapter to make up for the time it took to upload the last chapter. Plus, I was really amped to write this chapter. Here comes Damon, people! Just a heads-up, my "human-Damon" is more like his character in the books. I liked the charming, rebel personality that he had as a human in the books, I always thought his human version on the TV show was a little too sweet. Anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying my story, and thanks to everyone who left comments and added me to their favorites. I really appreciate it! Now, without further ado, here's Damon!_

**Chapter 3**

**Damon's POV**

Damon sat back on the chaise in his father's study and began to tune out the lecture that was being spouted at him from the other side of the big, mahogany desk. He had heard it all before. "You are a screw-up, Damon!" (blah blah) "You have disgraced the family name!" (blah blah) "How is Stefan supposed to make it in this world with a brother like you? (blah blah) Then came the long list of Damon's faults and the threats to cut him off if he didn't get his priorities straight.

Damon had just come home after getting kicked out of his latest stint in another university in Europe. School was of no interest to Damon. What did he need any kind of education for? He would eventually inherit his father's estate, and then he could fill his days with the life of a country gentleman.

He rolled his eyes as his father continued with his latest rant. Everything eventually always came back to Stefan in his father's mind. Stefan was the golden boy who could do no wrong, the beloved prince of Mystic Falls. It was nauseating. Damon loved his brother, but was sick of hearing how perfect Stefan was on a daily basis. Even though none of this was Stefan's fault, sometimes, Damon found himself fantasizing about some horrible mistake that would knock Stefan down a peg on the perfection meter.

The tyrant was running out of steam, all that was left to do was for Damon to bow his head in shame and tell his father that he would do all he could for his brother. Yes, he had been through this many times. Stefan was waiting in the hall as Damon stepped out of the study.

"I'm sorry, Damon. It is not fair that he puts my future on your shoulders. I don't expect anything from you. Don't worry about Father, he won't cut you off. He has to keep up appearances for the town. Plus, we have a guest coming in a week or so. He will make up some story about why you had to come home, like he always does; some kind of family reason, or business that he needed you for. By the way, I'm really glad your home, Damon."

"I'm not worried, little brother." Damon said with his usual smirk.

"So, what got you thrown out of this one?" Stefan asked as he smiled knowingly.

"I got caught with the headmaster's daughter. It's a long story that I will talk to you about later. I think I will take a little stroll until Father calms down. I will say one thing though, it was well worth it."

With that, Damon walked down the hall with a smile on his face. He decided that the gardens were not safe to walk in, since the windows in the study looked out in that direction. The last thing Damon needed was to have his father spot him and come charging out for Round 2. Damon headed towards the woods on the west side of the estate. It would be quiet there, and he would not get spotted by anyone before his father could come up with a story about his impulsive, older son's return to town. Damon would be shocked if his father could come up with anything remotely unique. He had used every excuse in the book to try to explain Damon's behavior. Damon decided to let the subject rest as he listened to the bird's singing in the trees.

Not far into the woods, he heard a girl's voice. She was asking someone what she should do. There was desperation in her voice that told Damon that, whatever she was speaking of, it was very important. He moved as quietly as he could so he would not be heard, and moved closer to the sound of the girl's voice. He could tell just by how she sounded that she must be a beauty. He had learned to pick out little details like that through the years. Finally, he could see the girl through the dense trees, and the sight of her took his breath away. He had been right; she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.

She had long, shiny hair and olive-colored skin. Just the thought of touching her perfect skin made Damon's palms itch. He had noticed her strange clothes, but didn't care what she wore. He knew in his heart that if he let this girl out of his sight, he would regret it for the rest of his days. He also realized that she had been talking to herself; no one was with her except God and the forest. This dark angel must have fallen straight out of the sky, and was now asking what she could do to get back up to the heavens.

Damon stepped out slowly so he wouldn't scare her away. As he did, he stepped on a twig and the sound of it snapping made the girl spin around to face him. As her eyes met his, they grew three times as large.

"Damon."

He could barely hear the whisper of his name on her lips as she stared at him. He could see her lovely brown eyes, and could not look away from them. A man could drown in those eyes if he wasn't careful.

"Do you know me, miss? Tell me your name and what is wrong. I will do anything to put you at ease." Damon couldn't believe he was saying these things to a girl he had just met, but he had never felt this way before. His heart was racing and he had begun to breathe heavier. All she had to do was say the words, and he would rip a hole in the sky for her. He took a step towards her, only to have her jump back away from him.

The mysterious girl looked at him with suspicion as she started to try to get away. She didn't trust him…yet. He would make it his mission to earn her trust. "I have to go! No one was supposed to find me here, especially not you or Stefan!"

Those words froze Damon for a moment. How did she know him and his brother? He had been away for a while. Did she know Stefan? Had she met their father, and heard stories about Damon? That couldn't be it. His father would never speak that way in front of a stranger. Damon saw her looking for a way to escape, but he couldn't let her go without finding out who she was. Damon stepped into her path. When he saw her flinch, he raised his arms in submission to show her that he would not harm her. "What is your name, and how do you know me and my brother?"

**Elena's POV**

Elena could not believe her eyes. Standing before her was Damon Salvatore. One of the only two people that were not supposed to see her, and here he was, right in front of her. What else could go wrong for her today? As he put his hands in the air, Elena stopped. She had never seen Damon like this before. He spoke softly, and looked at her with a strange sense of awe. Elena realized that this must have been what Damon had been like as a human, before he lost so much of his humanity. She could sense the bad-boy just under the surface, but there was a gentleness that she never thought she would see. He asked for her name for the second time, and then asked how she had known his name. Elena couldn't tell him anything. She had to get away from him and get back to Bonnie in the barn. It would be awkward when he met Katherine, but it couldn't be helped. Katherine would just think it was a case of mistaken identity.

"My name is not important. I don't know you, so you can forget you ever saw me here."

The familiar smirk that Elena had come to know so well began to turn up the corners of Damon's mouth. He was not going to let her get away so easily. "You're wrong, miss. I could never forget you and, at this moment, your name is very important to me."

Elena could feel the blood filling her cheeks. She couldn't deny how handsome Damon looked when he smiled at her like that. It had always been her main weakness with him, even after she had fallen hopelessly in love with Stefan. She looked down to try to hide her blush. She had to find a way to get away. She could lie and say her name was Katherine, but she had no idea how that would work out when he met the real Katherine. Katherine could not find out that Elena existed. It would be a disaster! Elena tried to play it off. "You wouldn't believe my story if I told you, and how do I know that I can trust you with my name?"

"I would believe you even if you told me the heaven's sent you here to find me. You can trust me. I don't know why, but I would never want to harm you."

Argh, how was a girl supposed to concentrate with that being said to her? Damon was laying on the charm at full volume. She could feel herself starting to give in, so she shook her head to clear away the fog. If she didn't know for a fact that Damon was human during this time period, she could have sworn that he was trying to compel her. She decided that she would tell him just enough so that he would let her go, but not enough that it would totally wreck the future.

Here goes nothing thought Elena as she took a deep breath and looked up at Damon. "Okay, my name is Elena, but you can't tell anyone that you saw me here. I'm not supposed to be here. Will you please promise not to say anything?" She could not believe that she was begging Damon Salvatore for a favor; it was like some twisted nightmare!

Damon looked deep into her eyes. "As you wish, Elena. I won't tell anyone about you. For one, I don't think anyone would believe me. The second reason is that I rather like the idea of having you all to myself. However, you must promise to meet me here tomorrow. If I am to help you, I must be able to find you again."

"Well, shit!"

Elena blushed again as she heard Damon roar with laughter at her sudden outburst. Elena didn't usually curse like that, but she couldn't help it. She had walked right into that one. If she didn't promise to meet with him, then he would have no reason to keep his promise to her. "Fine, I will see you tomorrow. Can you see if you can find some clothes for my friend and I? I can't very well be strolling around out in the open in these." She pointed to her t-shirt and jeans as she said this. Thank God she had been too tired the night before to change her clothes. She could only imagine showing up in 1864 in a pair of shorts or pajamas.

"That all depends. Is your friend a man, or a woman?" Damon asked.

"She's a girl. We just need a dress or two so that we can look as if we belong here, in case someone else comes across us like you did."

"Your wish is my command, angel. I will see what I can do. I might be able to find some things that will work in some old trunks that used to belong to my mother." Damon gave her a formal bow. "Until tomorrow, Elena."

Elena watched as Damon turned to walk back in the direction that he had come. As soon as he was gone, she took off like a shot back to the barn. She burst through the barn door, slamming directly into Bonnie. They both yelped as they tumbled into the dirt.

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie! I didn't think you would be in the doorway. I messed up, Bonnie. I REALLY messed up!"

"It's okay. I was worried about you; you were gone for a while. What happened? Did someone see you? Are you being followed?"

"Oh, Bonnie, it's like some kind of bad dream! I was standing in the woods, trying to figure out what to do, when who should walk up on me but Damon! I don't know what to do now!"

"Wait a minute. Damon saw you? Oh no, that can't be good. Are you sure he saw you? Maybe you just thought he did."

"No, Bonnie! He more than just saw me, he spoke to me! He wouldn't let me leave until I told him my name. He promised not to tell anyone else that we were here, but I had to promise him that I would meet him in the woods tomorrow. We can't just leave now! It would ruin everything! Any time now he could meet Katherine and nothing would stop him from thinking it was me. What am I gonna do?"

Bonnie's face went ashen as Elena told her what had happened. After she finished, Bonnie looked up at her with determination in her eyes. "You have to tell him everything."

"No! I can't!"

"You have to. If you can get him to believe you, then it might not do that much damage. However, if you tell him nothing, everything will hit the fan as soon as Katherine strolls into town.

Elena knew that Bonnie was right, but how was she going to get Damon to believe her story. She didn't even believe it, and she was living it. She had only 24 hours to figure out how to explain this mess to Damon. It was going to be a long day.

_Hope you are enjoying the story so far. I will try to upload the next chapter in a few days. Thanks again!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys! Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I didn't like it the first couple times I wrote it, so I didn't want to load a new chapter until I was somewhat happy with it. I am also trying to write a few chapters ahead before I update, so I don't write myself into a dead-end. Anyways, thanks for all the support and I hope you like this one._

**Chapter 4**

**Damon's POV**

Damon awoke the following morning with a smile on his face. He had not been able to get Elena out of his head since the moment he left her in the woods the day before. He wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to learn what made her laugh, made her fall in love, and even what had happened in her past that made a constant sense of sadness appear just below the surface of her face. He had noticed that sadness the moment he had looked into her eyes. What horrible things had those eyes seen? The one thing he wanted most, though, was to learn how to make her trust him. He knew he couldn't push her into telling him anything; she had to trust him enough to open her heart to him.

Damon's mind drifted back to the day before. He had left her in the woods after she had agreed to meet him the next day, but he couldn't go far. He had made sure that she could no longer see him and waited to see what she would do next. Moment after he had stopped behind a large tree to watch her, she had taken off like the forest was about to catch fire. It was difficult for Damon to keep her in his sights, but he had managed to keep up with her without being seen. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her running straight for the old, rundown barn that stood at the back of his family's estate. She had been right under his nose.

As Damon looked at the barn, he noticed something odd. The barn was pitch black on the inside. He remembered that barn very well from when he and Stefan had played there as small boys. He had always remembered how the light would shine so brightly through the broken beams; cutting through the dimness like knives. Looking at it now, especially in the bright sunshine, it looked as though it was the dead of night inside. He couldn't see Elena after she burst through the door.

He also could not hear any noise coming from the old structure. Sound had always carried so well from there before. He slowly approached the barn door to see if the girl was alright, but as he got closer, he felt as if there was some force pushing him away. It felt as if all the air around him was being sucked through some sort of black hole. He reluctantly turned away and went back to the house. As he moved away from the barn, he felt as if his breathing was returning to normal. Damon had a very strange feeling, but somehow knew that his dark angel had something to do with it.

He went through the rest of the day in a fog. Elena's image would float through his mind constantly; the way her strange clothing hugged her body like a second skin, how her brown hair would shine in the sun, and how she would blush when he smiled at her. He had to figure out a way to get the girl to trust him. He thought back to all the innocent girls that he had seduced in the past and every one of their faces were replaced with hers.

He had gone to the attic when he returned to the house and combed through his mother's old trucks of dresses for what seemed like hours, searching for one that he believed could live up to Elena's beauty. He also remembered to grab one for the friend she had mentioned before returning to his room and stashing them in a bag for her. He had also snuck down to the kitchens late that night and hid some food in a bag for the girls. If she was spending her nights in that old barn, then she probably hadn't eaten in a while.

Damon got out of bed and got dressed to see Elena. It seemed as if she called to him like a siren, pulling him to her by just a thought. Even though he could not stand one more second without seeing her face, he decided to go downstairs and make an appearance at breakfast before heading out into the woods. He wanted to be able to spend as much time as he could with Elena without worrying about anyone coming to search for him later.

His father stood up from his chair at the head of the table as soon as Damon walked through the door. "It's nice of you to grace us with your presence this morning, Damon. I have some business to attend to in my study. I trust you can stay out of trouble today without my supervision?"

A small smile turned up the corners of Damon's mouth and he couldn't hold back the hint of sarcasm in his voice. "It's not likely, Father, but I shall do my best. I would not dream of causing you any discomfort." With a harsh look, his father left the room. Damon strolled to the table where Stefan sat and began piling his plate with food.

"You should not bait him like that, Damon. It only makes it worse." Stefan said as Damon sat down across from him. "What are your plans for today? Would you like to accompany me into town?"

Damon looked at his brother thoughtfully. "I'm sorry, little brother; I have things to do today." Again, Elena's face began to hover in Damon's mind as he stared out the dining room windows toward the trees. In a few minutes he would see her again. It felt as if the world around him was drifting away as he thought of her.

"So, when are you planning to tell me about the girl?"

Damon's head jerked toward Stefan as reality snapped back into place at his question. How had Stefan found out about Elena? A possessiveness that Damon could not explain suddenly overwhelmed him. "What? What girl?"

"The girl that got you kicked out of school, of course. Have you forgotten her already?" Stefan teased as he watched Damon's struggle to return his expression to normal. "I am anxious to learn what was worth being thrown out of school for."

Damon had considered the headmaster's daughter beautiful when he had met her, but somehow he could only see her as ordinary now. He felt as if no woman would ever again match the beauty of the strange girl that was waiting for him in the forest. "She is of no importance now. I must go. I will see you later little brother." Without another word, Damon got up from the table. He went back up to his room to retrieve the bags of clothing and food that he had hidden beneath his bed, and then snuck out the door in the kitchens, so he would not be seen.

He entered the woods unnoticed and began making his way to the place where he had seen Elena talking to herself. As he approached, he heard another girl's voice.

"Elena, you have to! How are we going to get back home if you don't tell him everything? We need help!"

Elena's voice sent a surge through Damon's spine. "I just don't think I can! He is never going to believe me. Hell, I wouldn't believe me!"

Damon smiled to himself. He loved hearing a curse come out of that beautiful mouth. He had not expected it the previous day and it had made him laugh. Unable to wait a moment longer, Damon stepped into the small clearing where the two girls stood. "I would believe anything you told me, lovely Elena."

The two girls yelped and spun to face Damon. Damon watched as Elena put her hand over her heart. "Damon! Don't sneak up on me like that! You're going to give me a heart attack!" Damon couldn't help but smile at her anger. She was going to be a handful.

"I sincerely apologize." Damon said with his most formal bow. "For a girl who is trying to stay hidden, you certainly aren't paying much attention to your surroundings." Damon could see the anger coming to the surface again. "You're the one who made me meet you out here! If we get caught, that's on you!"

Elena's companion rolled her eyes at the two of them and cleared her throat to speak. "We aren't accomplishing anything standing out here yelling. Let's get back to the barn." The girl looked at Elena. "You can tell him the story there. I'm not comfortable out here in the open like this." With that, the girl walked past them into the trees. They walked to the barn mostly in silence. Apparently, Elena had taken what he had said to heart because she was looking in every direction now. She would spin around at the slightest noise as they made their way to the barn. Elena's companion slowed her pace and let Elena take the lead so that she was walking right beside Damon. She turned her head slightly and began speaking in a hushed voice. "I know that you have no reason to trust us, but I'm begging you to keep an open mind. Our story is…difficult to believe, but it is true." Her face became sad as she looked down at her feet. "I got Elena into this mess and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her here. My name is Bonnie, by the way."

"I can assure you, Bonnie, that I have no intention of letting anything happen to her." Damon could see the small smile that came to Bonnie's face out of the corner of his eye. "Elena was right about you. You are extremely charming." Damon smiled back at Bonnie's comment. Elena had talked about him to her friend. That was a good start.

They had just reached the barn when the same strange feeling began to fill the air around Damon. He had no intention of leaving Elena's side, but all he felt in that moment was the unbearable urge to turn and walk away. It took all he had to plant his feet and stand in the same spot as he watched Elena and Bonnie exchange words in the doorway. It was odd, they were only a few feet in front of him, yet he couldn't hear a word they were saying. Suddenly, Elena reached out her hand to Damon and he latched onto it like an anchor. In a way, it was an anchor. As soon as he touched her, the vacuum around him eased. Elena had begun to pull him through the door as he realized that he could hear them again. He knew in that moment that their story was going to be interesting.

_Thanks to all of your support. I hope that the story will pick up a little now. I have to admit that I am getting into somewhat of a rut with the writing. I am completely open to suggestions from you guys about how to punch up the story. Thanks again to everyone who likes the story. I hope to upload the next chapter sooner next time. Enjoy!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey there everybody! I would like to apologize for not updating in so long! You know how life is: work, family, the flu. It always seems like everything comes up all at once. I am finally feeling better and my schedule is finally back to normal, so here is your next installment. Hope you enjoy it. I hope that it will not be so long until my next upload, but I am graduating from college in a few days and I'm sure more things are going to pop up that will take my concentration and attention. Thanks again to all of you who follow the story and leave comments! You guys keep me writing more. So, here we go. I am going back to Bonnie's POV for this chapter. I like the idea of seeing the exchange between Damon and Elena through her eyes.**_

**Chapter 5**

**Bonnie's POV**

As the three of them approached the barn, Bonnie turned to see Damon had stopped suddenly a few feet away from the door. He had begun to shake and looked extremely uncomfortable. A sense of pride swelled up in Bonnie as she realized that her protection spell had worked.

Bonnie noticed that Elena was also watching Damon very closely. Elena never took her eyes off Damon when she spoke to Bonnie. "Do you think he just wanted to find out where we were hiding so he could turn us in? He looks like he is about to run. I told you we shouldn't have involved him!" Bonnie could understand why Elena had never really trusted Damon. He was way too suave and charming for his own good, but Bonnie could tell he was using every ounce of energy he had to keep his feet planted in the spot where he had stopped. It looked as if a slight breeze would sling him across the yard if he relaxed even a finger.

"No, Elena, it's the protection spell. It won't let him in. If this was a trap, he would already have made a run for it. Look at him, Elena; he's trying to fight it."

"Well, what do we do? We can't just stand out here in the open like this." Elena took her eyes off Damon for only a few seconds as she scanned their surroundings.

"Get him to take your hand. Try to pull him through. Maybe, if he's connected to you, the spell will let him in." Bonnie's pride in herself slowly began to fade. "Of course, I'm just guessing at this point."

Bonnie watched as Elena reached out her hand. Damon grabbed onto it like a lifeline and suddenly started to relax. As Elena pulled Damon through the door, Bonnie couldn't help the dopey grin that came to her face. She started to think of how proud Grams would be if she could see how powerful her protection spell was. Well, maybe not in this situation, but she had cast a pretty awesome spell if she said so herself. She could hear Grams now, "_If you hadn't have gotten into this mess in the first place; you wouldn't have needed a protection spell, but that's my girl!_" As Bonnie came back to the present, she looked to see that Damon had made it through the barrier and was sitting on a bale of hay trying to catch his breath.

"What was that? It felt like all the air was being sucked out of my lungs."

Bonnie watched as Elena knelt down in front of Damon so that she could look him in the eyes while she spoke. "We will explain everything, but you first have to promise that you will hear us out. That you will listen to the whole story before you react." Elena looked up at Bonnie briefly before returning her eyes to Damon. "Then you can decide what to do with us from there."

Damon's eyes began to soften. Bonnie saw his hand come up like he wanted to touch Elena's face, but he caught himself just before and dropped his hand back to his lap. He had not taken his eyes off Elena since the moment she had knelt in front of him. "You can trust me. Now, tell me what's going on and how you know me."

Elena looked up at Bonnie for help. "Bonnie, I think you should tell him how we got here. You're the expert when it comes to magic."

"Wait, magic? What does…?" Damon had interrupted when Elena placed her fingers lightly over his mouth to quiet him. "You promised to hear us out first." Damon's eyes slowly closed at Elena's touch before Elena realized the contact and dropped her hand. He nodded his head slightly, so Elena began the story. "We are from Mystic Falls. We both grew up here, just not the "here" you're used to. We came from the Mystic Falls that exists more than a hundred years into the future. In our time, I got upset about something and Bonnie was trying to help me understand it. She didn't realize it would bring us here, to your time."

Bonnie watched as Damon's expression turned to disbelief. He thought this was a joke. It looked like it was Bonnie's turn to add another layer to the tale. If they wanted to get home, Bonnie had a feeling that they would need Damon's help to get there. Just by seeing how he reacted to Elena, Bonnie knew that they could get him on their side. "What Elena says is true. I brought us here by accident. I thought Elena would just fall asleep and simply wake up with the answers she needed. I had no idea that it would be more complicated than that." Bonnie could see the question mark in Damon's expression and knew what question he wanted to ask, so she just decided to blurt it out and cross her fingers. "I'm a witch. I worked a spell and it backfired on me. That's what brought us here."

Elena took a deep breath. "How do you explain the way we are dressed, or the fact that we know who you are when you've never met us? The reason why you couldn't get into the barn is because Bonnie put a spell on it to keep us hidden. It only allows the two of us in. That's why I had to grab your hand and pull you through. You're not under its protection."

Bonnie held her breath and watched as Damon's expression changed rapidly many times. It went from disbelief to frustration, then to humor. When he looked into Elena's eyes, it turned to concern, and then awe. Elena turned to look at Bonnie, unable to withstand the intensity in Damon's gaze. "You're going to have to prove it, Bonnie. Show him."

Bonnie's eyes grew round; it all came down to her then. She took a moment to try to think of a way to prove her magical abilities to Damon. She finally decided that she would show him the same way that she had shown Elena. She closed her eyes for a moment to clear her mind then opened them in order to concentrate on the ground around Damon's feet. After a few seconds, bits of hay that scattered the ground began to rise into the air to float around Damon. Damon's eyes grew round with shock as he watched a strand of hay dance weightlessly in front of his face. Bonnie was getting better at her levitation spell. She made handfuls of hay twirl around each other and then collide, only to split apart and begin the dance over again. Bonnie suddenly released her hold and watched as the hay paused for a split second then fell lifeless onto the ground again. She looked at Damon and smiled when she spoke. "Are you freaked out yet?"

Bonnie could see the struggle in Damon's eyes. He was trying to process all the new information that he had just learned without losing his cool. Bonnie had to admire him, she would have run screaming by now.

Damon swallowed visibly while looking from Bonnie to Elena. Suddenly he raised a finger into the air. Bonnie assumed that he was asking for another minute to process everything, but was surprised when he cleared his throat to speak. "I know you want me to wait until you are finished, but I have a small question. Let's just say that I believe everything you've told me so far. Let's say I believe that your friend is a witch and that she accidently brought you here from the future; which is completely crazy, by the way. How does that explain the fact that you know who I am?"

Elena hung her head and stared at the ground as she spoke. "If you think that the idea of Bonnie being a witch is crazy, then you are definitely not going to believe the rest of this. I know you in my time because you're going to become a vampire. Both you, and your brother, Stefan." Elena's head shot up as she heard laughter burst out of Damon's mouth.

Bonnie knew that he didn't believe them, or either he had just lost his mind. Either way, this was not going well. "Vampires aren't real!" Damon could barely breathe, much less speak from laughing. After a moment of seeing the look on Elena's face, he composed himself enough to continue. "That is just some spooky, old story that our parents would tell us as children, so we wouldn't sneak out of our beds at night."

Bonnie watched as Elena proceeded to tell Damon the whole story about their turning. She told him about Katherine and how she looked just like her. How she met the Salvatore brothers and how she had begun a relationship with Stefan before finding the picture that had started the whole mess that had brought them to 1864. Bonnie had not heard a lot of the story, so she was just as interested as Damon appeared to be to hear it. She did notice that Damon was visibly not happy to learn that Elena would be in a relationship with Stefan in the future. She could have sworn she heard him mumble something like, "Of course, Saint Stefan," under his breath when Elena was telling him. Finally, Elena started to wind down her story. She looked exhausted as she squared her shoulders and asked, "Are you about to have a guest come to visit your home?"

Damon, who had been listening intently to her story, suddenly perked up. "Yes, in about a week we are expecting a lady and her companion."

"That would be Katherine. Even if you don't believe me now, just wait until she gets here. Then you'll see what I'm talking about. I figure that I must be some distant relative of hers, I can't think of another reason for the resemblance. Stefan never got the chance to explain it to me."

Damon rolled his eyes and then stood to pace the barn for a few moments before looking back to Elena, still kneeling on the ground. He walked over and held out his hand to help her up. As she stood, he continued to hold onto her. "I'm going to need a little time to think all of this over. I meant what I said before about you being able to trust me, Elena. I won't tell anyone of your presence here or of the things you told me just now. If I may, I will return to you tomorrow morning after I have decided what I might be able to do to help you." With that, he slowly brought Elena's hand up. He ran his thumb over Elena's knuckles and brushed his lips across the same path as he bowed over her hand. "Sleep well, my lady. You are safe here." Damon straightened himself and walked out of the barn without even glancing back.

Bonnie was stunned as she watched him walk back to the main house. She managed to pick her jaw up off the ground as she turned back to Elena. "Well, I don't know how to respond to that, but I guess it could have gone worse. At least it seems he is willing to help us." Bonnie's surprise had almost made her miss Elena running her hand over the spot where Damon had kissed her hand. _Oh boy, _Bonnie thought, _this is going to get complicated._

_**There you go my friends. Hope it was worth the wait. The romance is going to kick up another notch now, so keep your shirts on. **__ ;) __**I have already been working on the next installment and I can tell you we are going back to Damon's POV next. See ya next time! I'm open, as always to your comments and suggestions, so post away!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello to everyone who had been reading my story! I wish I could say that the story will eventually be finished, but I just don't think that will ever happen. My only excuse is that I just got fed up with the books and the show to where I just couldn't get behind the characters anymore. It sucks, but it happens sometimes. Since I am one of those fan fiction readers that go crazy when I don't get to see how an abandoned story ends, I did want to give you guys a summary of how my story would have played out if I had continued it. I had already figured out the bullet points of the plot, so here they are.**

Elena and Damon get closer and she eventually lets her guard down with him while Stefan is going through all the drama with Katherine. Katherine does spend a good deal of time trying to seduce Damon, but he never falls for it. To him, Katherine is just a colder version of Elena. He does play along with it somewhat because he needs to ensure that she turns him in the end, but it never gets as serious or hot and heavy like in the original timeline.

Elena and Bonnie don't know how to go home, but eventually come up with a plan. Damon is tasked with occupying Katherine while Elena goes into the Salvatore house to talk to Bonnie's ancestor, Emily, pretending to be Katherine. Of course, Emily sees right through the ruse because of how powerful she is. She agrees to keep their presence hidden from Katherine and tells Elena that the only way for her to get back is to figure out how she feels about the two brothers. To help her out, Emily tells Elena that Stefan would always compare her to Katherine and to decide if she could live with that.

Elena tells Damon and Bonnie what Emily said to her and after a few days of thinking through everything, she realizes that she is actually in love with Damon. Damon has been trying to sweep her off her feet for a while and has already confessed that he loves her, so she admits that she returns his feelings. They consummate their relationship in the barn while Bonnie is gone, giving them privacy "to talk". Shortly after, Elena and Bonnie are whisked back to there own time and they wake up at Bonnie's grandmother's house. They realize that only a few hours have past in their timeline and Elena goes home.

When Elena walks into her house, she hears her parent's voices in the kitchen and freezes in shock. Jeremy comes down the stairs and notices her and begins to laugh, saying how much trouble she is going to be in for being late. She slowly follows him into the kitchen and sees her parents waiting. She runs to hug them naturally, which confuses them and make Jeremy look at her like she's crazy. She eventually figures out that her whole timeline has changed. Bonnie rushes over and they compare notes about the changes. The next day, Elena goes out to the bridge where the original accident took place, and a now vampire Damon happens to be there. She runs to him and hugs him and he tells her that he's glad she finally recognizes him. She tells him that she just got back and then he proceeds to tell her everything she had missed. As they were getting closer in the past, she had told him about her parent's death. She finds out that Damon went to the bridge the day of the accident and and knocked a tree over into the road so that her parents would have to take another route, saving them as a result. When she didn't recognize him in the beginning, he loved her enough to let her have a normal life, but hoped someday she would know who he was. They confess their love for each other again and live happily ever after.

**I hope this brings some closer to those of you who were invested in this story and I'm sorry, again, that I just didn't have the heart to finish it. Who knows, I may try to finish it one day, but if I ever do, I would probably change the characters or turn it into a crossover. If anyone wants that to happen, give me some ideas!**


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